Katrina hits Category 5.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm not sure if I will have time to review the entire thread, but a quick update:

Because of my mother-in-law (who was very frustrating yesterday) we didn't actually get on the road until 6:00 AM.

However, unlike last year when we went to Houston, we went north. I heard nightmares about how slow I-10 was even with contraflow. We went across the causeway, then to I-12, then I-55 north all the way past Memphis before connecting with I-40 west to get to Little Rock. In ideal conditions, it is supposed to take about 8 hours (over 500 miles.) Yesterday, we did it in a little under 10:30 hours. We hit a few spots of congested traffic, but it was generally smooth sailing. We stopped for one severe rainstorm around Memphis, but had a good lunch. Other than that, we had to stop 4-5 times for my mother-in-law's dog's weak bladder.

We arrived at 4:30 last night and had a good dinner and are safely in Little Rock. The hotel is supposed to have free-in-room high speed internet connection, but the hub near my room is "disconnected" and they have still haven't managed to reconnect it 12 hours later. Hopefully, they'll fix it soon. Right now, I'm in the lobby and just connected there. Then again, this is a relatively minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know I'm safe (would have done so last night but was exhausted after only getting 3 hours of sleep and then driving all 10 hours plus.)

[FrogMan]

Good news EF27, glad to hear it!

FM

[marshall881]

Glad to hear you guys got out and are safe.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Should I combine this thread with the "Katrina hits Category 5" thread?

Worked for me too.

[Eaglesfan27]

Man, I can't believe this storm damaged parts of the Superdome Roof. I know it is heading slightly east of where my place is, but I really wonder if we will have a place to return to. Right now, the plan is to go visit my family in NJ if it is just too unrealistic to return to New Orleans.

Edit: About to head back to my room, just wanted to remind the front desk in person that it the hub isn't working for my room, and also let you know we're safe. I hope tk's brother and all the rest of you friends and family are safe too.

[Lathum]

Good to hear the EF

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Man, I can't believe this storm damaged parts of the Superdome Roof. I know it is heading slightly east of where my place is, but I really wonder if we will have a place to return to. Right now, the plan is to go visit my family in NJ if it is just too unrealistic to return to New Orleans.

Edit: About to head back to my room, just wanted to remind the front desk in person that it the hub isn't working for my room, and also let you know we're safe. I hope tk's brother and all the rest of you friends and family are safe too.

Man, I'll add you to the list of guys to hope for good luck for. I know one of the Imperial League owners is from Slidell and didn't get out until noon or so yesterday. Slidell looks like it is going to get hammered/ is getting hammered.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Glad to hear the EF clan is tucked away safely. My wife has asked me twice if we've heard from you yet, so I'll go share the update.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Glad to hear that you're alright, Eaglesfan27.

[cthomer5000]

is their streaming live covereage anywhere? wwltv is either down or i just can't connect.

[JonInMiddleGA]

anybody seen Jim Cantore or Sheppard Smith this morning?

edit at 11am to add: TWC just mentioned that Cantore & crew have been forced to the 2nd floor of that military retirement home we saw last night, in spite of their +27 feet above sea level location.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

is their streaming live covereage anywhere? wwltv is either down or i just can't connect.

Best I've been able to do is getting stations out of Mobile and they're getting pretty roughed up even there. Judging by the radars at present, the Mississippi coast is going through absolute hell right now with the eye finally ashore roughly at the LA-MS border.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Eaglesfan - I'm glad you and the family are ok. Arlie and I were concerned last night.

JIMGA - I heard Shep Smith this morning around 5am pacific. He was giving a report from the French Quarter via phone. Apparently the biggest problem there right now is the hurricane shutters coming loose and crashing through windows of hotels. Also think he reported that one of the levy's was failing.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

anybody seen Jim Cantore or Sheppard Smith this morning?

edit at 11am to add: TWC just mentioned that Cantore & crew have been forced to the 2nd floor of that military retirement home we saw last night, in spite of their +27 feet above sea level location.

Smith has had a couple call-ins this morning so far. Last one was not too long ago, saying it was at its peak and they expect to be in real bad stuff for an hour or so.

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

anybody seen Jim Cantore or Sheppard Smith this morning?

edit at 11am to add: TWC just mentioned that Cantore & crew have been forced to the 2nd floor of that military retirement home we saw last night, in spite of their +27 feet above sea level location.

Yeah, I heard the live phone call with Cantore's producer. He sounded pretty freaked, and said that in his 15 years of doing this it was the worst rising water situation he'd ever seen.

[Cringer]

Smith is on FOX right now. Phone call.

Talking about people on their roofs with water up that high in areas. Lots of windows blown out.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Smith is on FOX right now. Phone call.

Talking about people on their roofs with water up that high in areas. Lots of windows blown out.

Smith just said that Ponchartrain has started to spill over the levee, but he still feels like NO is going to be ok.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Anyone else think these reporters standing out in the storm are idiots? Steve Harrigan on Fox can barely talk, let alone stand in all the wind. And he's still trying to give a report.

[SirFozzie]

The east side of New Orleans is apparently under 5-6 feet of water after the pumps failed.

[Wolfpack]

I think the worst is over in New Orleans at this point. The storm is off to the northeast. Winds will now start shifting to the northwest and decrease, which means the lakeside levees, if they've held this long, should continue to hold for the most part. Latest advisory has dropped max winds to 125 and that number will continue to fall going forward. The eye itself is now beginning to collapse.

New Orleans came thisclose to biting it with this one. A slightly more westward track (we're talking maybe 10 miles) and I think New Orleans would have suffered a lot more than it has. It would have been in the western (albeit weaker) eyewall more directly and would likely have seen continuous winds of over 100 MPH for a long period of time.

I'm now watching a poor reporter getting tossed about in the wind in downtown Mobile. She can barely stand up. Had a wind gauge that with great effort on her part registered gusts to 50 MPH.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

Anyone else think these reporters standing out in the storm are idiots? Steve Harrigan on Fox can barely talk, let alone stand in all the wind. And he's still trying to give a report.

Something to keep in mind though ... there's nowhere in the world a lot of them would rather be right now.

I chased enough tornadoes as a small-time radio news guy to understand why they're out there (beyond the whole "it's part of my paycheck" aspect of course).

In addition to likely being the largest audiences a lot of them will ever have (certain top-tier personalities notwithstanding), this is the footage that'll be on a lot of their demo reels for the next 20 years. Storm coverage, like war coverage in the 60's, will make or break a few careers.

Plus, aside from those sort of aspects, the story is outside, not inside ... so to tell it best & do what you're supposed to do which is cover the story, requires some exposure.

[Eaglesfan27]

They finally have the internet working in my room and it is free

Of course, a nice plus side to this storm is that Mrs. Eaglesfan and I are alone in a hotel room for the first time in over 18 months and I'm not sure how much I'll be on the internet (she is napping again right now.) Of course, I'll make sure I don't call it a date

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Thank you all for the well wishes/prayers.

[Warhammer]

Good place to eat in Little Rock for steaks go to Doe's. Hole in the wall place with three items on the menu, steak, tamales, and salad. Steaks are ordered by cut and pounds!

[Lathum]

WGNO reporter Susan Roesgen, who is with the mayor at the Hyatt hotel, said New Orleans police had received more than 100 calls about people in the area trapped on their roofs.

took this from CNN

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but what part of "no services will be available" didn't these people understand. I feel bad for them but I find it hard to have sympathy for them, especially since their stupidity could result in further loss of lives. It just amazes me.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Good place to eat in Little Rock for steaks go to Doe's. Hole in the wall place with three items on the menu, steak, tamales, and salad. Steaks are ordered by cut and pounds!

Thanks for the recommendation!

On a bad note, I just talked to my mother-in-law. She tells me that my mother-in-law's crazy neighbor stayed in her apartment (on the 3rd floor.) I have NO idea how her phone is still working, but she reports that her own apartment has the siding torn off outside and that her windows have shattered. She thinks my Mother-in-law's windows have shattered as well

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Thanks for the recommendation!

On a bad note, I just talked to my mother-in-law. She tells me that my mother-in-law's crazy neighbor stayed in her apartment (on the 3rd floor.) I have NO idea how her phone is still working, but she reports that her own apartment has the siding torn off outside and that her windows have shattered. She thinks my Mother-in-law's windows have shattered as well

Does that mean MIL will be staying with you until her apartment is repaired? I feel for you Eaglesfan.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

Does that mean MIL will be staying with you until her apartment is repaired? I feel for you Eaglesfan.

Very possible It wouldn't just be my mother-in-law, but my 19 year old sister-in-law and my 17 year old brother-in-law (who is still something of a trouble maker.)

Of course, that is assuming our place isn't damaged/destroyed. The hospital evacuated completely, so I have no one to call to see my place. I imagine there is a decent chance that my windows may be blown out. If so, I wonder how much of our stuff will be destroyed. Also, our place is right along the Mississippi River. We might end up being flooded. At least we are a fair distance from the lake. Also, we do have a 8-10 foot brick wall around the hospital.

[Galaril]

Anybody, ScottVib, etc. know what Katrina's Pressure was at landfall 27.70mb? And I am glad to here everyone of our FOFC(And families) like Eaglefan and others are doing alright.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

The east side of New Orleans is apparently under 5-6 feet of water after the pumps failed.

To be honest, if 5-6' is the worst water they get there, then the worst case people feared will have been avoided. Don't get me wrong, that's a lot of water but it's not catastrophic.

SI

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Here's a shot of the damage done to the Superdome.

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/nola/

[Eaglesfan27]

Is the WWLTV link down for everyone, or is this another quirk of my hotel room internet access?

I imagine it is probably down for everyone as the power is likely out at the station, but just wanted to confirm.

Oh yeah, I can't believe Mrs. Eaglesfan can just sleep through this (she even napped for a few hours yesterday as her sister drove her car for part of the trip.)

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Is the WWLTV link down for everyone, or is this another quirk of my hotel room internet access?

I can't connect to it either so you're not alone.

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

One of the clinics that I work at is in Chalmette (which is in St. Bernard.) I just read that the civic center in Chalmette has had it's roof ripped off. Also, the Chalmette High School which is across the street from one of my clinics (where I work 24 hours/week) has had multiple windows blown out (it is a shelter for people who didn't/couldn't evacuate.)

[HomerJSimpson]

Mississippi Govenor: "I have instructed the police and National Guard to treat looters ruthlessly."

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by HomerJSimpson

Mississippi Govenor: "I have instructed the police and National Guard to treat looters ruthlessly."

Sweet.

Link? Or was that on TV?

[Lathum]

good for him ( her)

[sterlingice]

Yeah, but wasn't he the same guy just on CNN saying "I don't know how much the damage runs but it's higher than I can count" and a friend on AIM messaged "It must be six, seven dollars!" and I was thinking the same thing.

SI

[HomerJSimpson]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Sweet.

Link? Or was that on TV?

TV. Bit of a paraphrase, but close enough to be a quote. I wish I could have typed fast enough to get the comments he made about the idiots who refused to leave. Basically, he said if you weren't smart enough to get out, we are not going to risk smarter peoples lives to save you.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by HomerJSimpson

TV. Bit of a paraphrase, but close enough to be a quote. I wish I could have typed fast enough to get the comments he made about the idiots who refused to leave. Basically, he said if you weren't smart enough to get out, we are not going to risk smarter peoples lives to save you.

Yeah, that was pretty good.

SI

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Originally Posted by Lathum

good for him ( her)

Him. Haley Barbour. Sounds like John Madden with a southern accent.

[Buccaneer]

I was on last night when wwltv had to switch Baton Rouge. I think they shutdown their web servers in NO, or at least the one that had feeds the streaming video.

[Buccaneer]

dola

Which is too bad because their coverage far exceeded anything the morons at WC, CNN or FOX have been doing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Yeah, I'd really like to see wwltv right now.

From reading local websites and blogs (I can't believe anyone is able to blog from the area and who knows how reliable they are) it appears that there are a few collasped or partially collapsed buildings within a few miles of my MIL's apartment. Also, a hospital near her place (East Jefferson Hospital) reports 4-6 ft of water outside their doors. I wonder if any of these reports are true. If these are true (or even if they aren't) I'm really glad that my wife's grandparents left. A recent report suggests that Kenner also is flooding badly.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

{shrug} The comparisons seem pretty valid to me, as 9/11 does sort of set the U.S. benchmark for catastrophic loss of life, property, etc. And it's the same standard that the head of disaster planning in New Orleans used for perspective
in the long CNN piece that aired a lot yesterday, so it's not like this is an FOFC thing or something.

9/11 is the catastrophe that all others will be compared to (until something surpasses it).

Comparing it to the dust bowl would be more logical.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've found a live feed that seems to have decent info from WDSU.com. Here is the link:

http://www.wdsu.com/video/4909353/detail.html

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Craptacular

LOL. Nicole Mitchell is an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter, and a Weather Channel meteorologist. She's usually on in the morning with Marshall Seese (sp?) and Heather Tesch.

On a serious note, I hope everyone in the area has heeded the warnings and gotten the hell out of the way. Let Jim Cantore and his pals show you what it's like from a couple hundred miles away.

Never seen her. I actually find Erica Hill (CNN) sexy in a weird way. I'm not sure why.

Glad to hear everyone is safe and sound.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Comparing it to the dust bowl would be more logical.

Yeah, but only Bucc was around then so that doesn't help any of us

SI

[terpkristin]

Little update from here, we heard from my brother (FINALLY!) not too long ago. He ended up leaving about 6 a.m. Sunday and drove to Austin, TX with a friend (the friend has family there). Haven't heard any updates from him about where he was living (he was more or less in the French Quarter), but when Katrina moved slightly east, I think it helped protect New Orleans in general from much greater devastation (thankfully).

On another note, insurers are reportedly saying that the damage from Katrina could "top 25 billion," making it the worst on record if it does (Andrew is the worst on record, with 21 billion present-day dollars of damage). I got that useless statistic from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4195018.stm

Glad to hear that people are safe and doing OK, I'll keep fingers crossed that things are OK in New Orleans, that there will be something useful to go back to.

Thanks for the thoughts about my brother, too, guys.

/tk

[vex]

Cat 1 now, 95 mph.